ABSTRACT:Swainson’s House is the first new home to be built at Serosun Farms under the sustainable and healthy guidelines established for the community. The home was designed to demonstrate and feature many of the leading-edge products, practices and technologies available in designing and building sustainable and healthy homes today, and serves as an example of how luxury homes can be beautiful and comfortable yet still be very green.

The design for the home is based on a traditional four square farm house with a wraparound porch. The home is situated on the lot to take advantage of expansive views of woodlands, prairie and farmlands, including the equestrian center and central wetlands at Serosun Farms. The exterior finishes reflect classic Americana with a field stone base, board and baton and lap siding, common on older farmhouses in the area and topped with a steel roof typical of barns and farmhouses in the country. The landscaping is simple with gardens around the base of the home and a small yard blending into the prairies, fields and fence rows of the country.

The interior styling is sophisticated farm house style with paneled walls, simple cabinet details with upscale lighting, farmhouse sinks in the kitchen with updated fixtures, barn doors for some of the rooms and more. The interior great room is reminiscent of a barn interior with the exposed framing, and a loft above and with a central stone fireplace for gathering. The feel is spacious but comfortable with a simple elegance. Views from every window provide spectacular countryside vignettes and the classic wraparound porch with the outdoor fireplace provides a cozy front row seat to witness the fantastic sunsets at Serosun.

Swainson’s House meets the stringent guidelines for homes built at Serosun and ensure a high quality luxury home that is sustainable and healthy. Our high performance design program focuses the latest in energy efficiency, moisture management, water conservation, materials use, indoor air quality, human health, and environmental quality. These add up to a home that is comfortable, healthy and easy on the environment but is also quality built and will stand up to the tests of time and operate on a budget.

The home features a high efficiency (tight) envelope; advanced framing techniques; energy efficient windows; passive solar elements; a geothermal heating, air conditioning, and hot water system from ClimateMaster; automated ventilation system (ERV); energy and water efficient appliances; water efficient plumbing fixtures; high efficiency lighting; an advanced home automation system; sustainable and healthy interior finishes; rain harvesting and green roof systems; and a drought tolerant and natives based landscape with over half of the lot in natural prairie.